Career
Gardner is considered a pioneer in sports broadcasting, having been the first female sports anchor to appear weekly on a major network. After being hired by Entertainment and Sports Programming Network in 1983, Gardner served as a SportsCenter anchor for three years. Gardner then worked for National Broadcasting Company from 1987-1993.
Among the assignments that she undertook included anchoring National Broadcasting Company"s New Year"s Day college football bowl game coverage, NFL Live!, Major League Baseball: An Inside Look, National Broadcasting Company"s 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics coverage, the French Open, Wimbledon, and National Broadcasting Company"s "Prudential Sports Updates".
On August 3, 1993, Gardner became the first woman to do televised play-by-play of a baseball game when she called the action of a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds. Gardner later worked on the Food Network before writing a screenplay.
She spent three years on the Food Network. In 2004 (to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SportsCenter), Gardner returned to anchor a special "old school" edition of SportsCenter alongside Stuart Scott.
